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centos isn't really meant as a desktop distro, it is geared more toward server/workstation as it is built around stability (older software/kernel). If you are bent on using centos, I would suggest using version 5 rather than 4, as the kernel is quite a lot newer.

You seem to be using an older version of CentOS, the latest version is 5.4. If this is a new install, I recommend downloading and installing the latest version.

Since CentOS is based on Red Hat, even the latest version won't have very good wireless support. Red Hat is meant for servers and office use, and wireless support is not needed there. I recommend installing the wireless drivers that are included in the compat-wireless package.

This is the drivers source code, so you will need to compile it. First you need to install a few things:

kernel source
kernel headers
gcc
make

But first, I just noticed something. These drivers will not work on kernels that are older than version 2.6.22. I don't know what kernel version you have, but I am sure that it older than that.

Without a more modern kernel, you may be out of luck. You could see if CentOS has some drivers available to install. Without more info I can't offer more help. Read the thread linked to below, and provide the information that it describes how to find.

It looks like CentOS 4.8 is using a 2.6.9 kernel. Your only hope is if the driver you need was backported to that kernel, as an update. So make sure you update to the latest available kernel.

You also may benefit from enabling the CentOS Plus repositories. It contains kernels that have modules enabled, that aren't enabled in a regular Red Hat kernel.

Be aware, the more you modify your installation, the farther away from a standard install you will get. You may get to the point where you will no longer be able to update from the repositories. It is better then to just install Fedora. Fedora is the developmental branch of Red Hat, and the kernel it uses has very good wireless support.

EDIT: You could also use NDISwrapper, if it is available for an older kernel.

Please do not send Private Messages to me with requests for help. I will not reply.